


Helping Hands and Unlikely Friends

by Chippani, CrayolaColor



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Takes place after secret of the sundrop, and yue probably just wants them to follow rules, cheshire tends to save people, varian is not okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2020-10-18 20:33:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20645261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chippani/pseuds/Chippani, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrayolaColor/pseuds/CrayolaColor
Summary: The events from Secret of the Sundrop go very differently.The rocks respond to Rapunzel's distress and "save" her from Varian, which she believes lead to his death. She leaves Corona with the others, guilt weighing her down.Little does she know, he isn't dead. In fact, a kind stranger found him and brought him to their home, just outside of Corona. With the help of someone else they saved, they get Varian back on his feet. The two decide to travel with him as he follows the path of black rocks, chasing Rapunzel and seeking answers.





	1. Lost in the wreckage

**Author's Note:**

> This au was actually CrayolaColor's idea, and Yue is her oc, but Chi here has run away with both for this, it seems.
> 
> First chapter is kinda short, but it'll get longer later.

If someone asked Rapunzel what happened, she'd say she wasn't sure. That wasn't entirely true though. She kept telling herself it could have ended differently, that she could have saved _him._ But how do you save someone that doesn't want to be saved?

It had all happened so fast after they got to his lab. She remembered how bitter he sounded. How could she forget? Her last image of him would forever be him standing in front of the amber, operating his drill. The flash of fear on his face as a burst of light filled the room would be burned into her memory.

It had taken hours to dig out the king and queen, but they never found Varian. Not even with Pascal's help. That was part of why she left Corona. She couldn't bear to stay in the place that had let a boy fall so far.

_Would they even give him a proper burial,_ she wondered, _even after all he did? Would anyone else even care that he's gone now?_

Her despair weighed heavily on her as she left Corona. Eugene tried to help her, to keep her afloat, but not even he was much help. After all, she wasn't ready to let go yet.

* * *

But no one knew about the newest tunnels under Old Corona. No one except Varian... And a curious explorer who always seemed to show up when disaster struck. Really, it was a coincidence that they were in the tunnels when it happened.

Their lantern was cracked, their leg was cut and their hair had gotten tangled in the black rocks. But, they were alive, and that was what mattered. Most people would have chosen to cut their losses and turn back then. They were not most people.

It was the cries of a raccoon that encouraged them to light their lantern again and explore more. It wasn't too much further ahead that they found him.

He was unconscious and badly injured, his breath laboured. They got to work quickly, using the flame of their lantern to heat the knife and cauterized his wounds. They checked for broken bones before wrapping him up and gently pulling him from the rubble. He was lucky, they thought, because he didn't land on any of the shards of broken glass.

A raccoon crawled out as well, going in circles around their feet until they finally said "you can come along too. I can't leave either of you in such a dangerous place." They were surprised that the animal seemed to understand.

If they had waited just a bit longer, they would have met the princess herself. Perhaps it would have been better that way, but that was just how things ended up.


	2. Who are you people?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who are you?  
Where am I?  
What happened?
> 
> What do you mean "again"?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hilarious that neither of us are sure if Yue is ooc or not.

Varian felt like he was floating. He might have thought he was on a cloud if he didn't think they were just water molecules in the air. _Am I dead?_ he wondered, _no... If I were dead, I think it would hurt less._

He felt so hot, yet so cold. Some parts of his body felt like they were on fire due to pain. It hurt to breathe too. Beyond that, he couldn't feel anything. There were voices, though they sounded muffled, as if his head were underwater. The smell of fresh mint wafted his way, helping him relax. Then he drifted away again.

And so it was for several days. He would become slightly more aware of his surroundings each time. Once, he found himself being fed a warm broth. He almost believed it was his father, taking care of him as he had when Varian had last gotten ill. But his father's broth was never as good. Quirin tried, but he admittedly wasn't the best at cooking.

* * *

He wasn't sure when it was that he noticed how much lighter it was, but it was bright enough he didn't dare try to open his eyes yet.

"Can't believe they're making me scrub floors. Me! I was fine with laundering clothes and cleaning dishes. But scrubbing floors? When they're the one that tracks in muck all the time? Unbelievable." Someone ranted quietly. "How is it that one could get so filthy while cleaning? Ugh... Sorry. I just needed to get that out, I guess."

Rudiger chittered softly from somewhere near his feet. _Rudiger_. That was the motivation he needed to open his eyes.

He regretted that immediately, letting out a soft groan as sunlight filled his vision. He squeezed his eye shut. The girl who had been chatting with his friend stopped. Varian could hear the floor creak as she walked over.

"Are you awake?" She asked. Her tone was soft and sweet, filled with a genuine concern he hadn't heard since-

He let out a raspy hum and tried looking at her. She had vibrant red hair and soft, milky skin. Her eyes were a dusty blue, the worry fading into relief. She was quite beautiful, despite the burn scars on her face and neck. "Thank goodness. I was afraid we'd have to start funeral preparations." She smiled. "Or that Cheshire would just bury you in the neighbor's garden."

"What?" His tongue felt heavy and it tasted like he'd been eating cotton.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Do you remember anything?"

He tried to recall what had happened. There was an explosion of light. That he remembered for certain. The rocks reacting to something... The princess? _The princess_. Just thinking about her made rage boil in his gut.

"Whoa! Take it easy little guy. I'm just trying to figure out what happened." She raised her hands and backed up a little. "I mean, Cheshire didn't exactly give any useful information, not that they ever do..."

He hadn't even realize he'd clenched his jaw, or let his expression twist into one of rage. Rudiger chirped softly and crawled up along his side. Varian turned his head to look at his friend. The raccoon's tongue darted out and lightly ran over the tip of his nose.

"Gross... Rudiger..." His voice sounded even worse, if that were possible. The girl chuckled.

"So that's his name. I'm Yue. Got a name, little guy? Or is Cheshire's nickname gonna stick?"

"Wh- oh.. Well, I'm v-" he stopped himself. Would these kind strangers still help him if they knew who he was? What he'd done? His heart pounded in his chest. He still wasn't well enough to be on his own, that much he could tell.

Yue looked at him expectantly.

"Varian," he croaked, waiting for her to fly into a rage. For her to start ranting about how he was a danger to society, how he attacked the royal family and deserved to die.

Instead she nodded. "Well, Varian, I would feed you some broth, but Cheshire isn't here, and they'd have to get it."

For a moment, her words didn't click in his mind. Then it hit him like...well, like his collection of Flynnigan Rider books that time his shelf broke. _She must be afraid of fire_, the thought came, _that's why she can't get it._ Really, it made sense. The burns on her skin must have come from somewhere.

"I'm home!" A sing-song voice came from another room. The sound of a door getting slammed shut thundered into the room. "I have good news and _great_ news! Which do you want first?" The voice was approaching.

Varian couldn't tell if the person was a man or a woman, even as they entered the room. "Do not slam the door! You don't need to be any louder than you already are! You're like a herd of stampeding sheep!" Yue shouted at them.

They had dark skin, and a playful smile on their lips. Their dark hair was cut strangely as to let a layer curl out around their head while the rest was gathered into a ponytail. A long one at that.

They had a dark travel cloak on their shoulders, which they threw off. Where it landed, Varian didn't know. He goth the feeling they didn't even care. "Just because you scared Jefferson's flock and got surrounded for a couple hours you act like you know what loud is. Besides, didn't I say I had news?" They arched a brow, showing off a brilliant green eye that seemed to reflect way too much light. The other eye seemed to be amber colored.

"I found his arm!"

"How is that good news-" Yue cut herself off. "Oh my- what did you do?" She took on an accusatory tone.

His_ arm? They couldn't possibly mean-_

The dark haired stranger started giggling. "I burried it in Herbert's garden."

"Again?!"

_What?_

Yue sighed and shook her head. "I've told you, we can't just bury every random thing you find in the neighbor's garden."

"I don't bury _every_ random thing. Just body parts and animal guts. Another month and he'll start to believe he's cursed!"

"That wouldn't be a good thing! What if he thinks the only way to break the curse is to kill you?"

"Then I'll die."

"You're insane." The words came tumbling out of Varian's mouth. He quickly moved his hand over his mouth as his eyes widened. The two looked at him. Then, the other laughed and moved over to his side. "Yeah, it certainly seems like that, huh?"

The back of their hand lightly pressed to his forehead. "Ah, you're doing much better now. That's good." They took his hand in theirs. "The name's Cheshire. I'm the one that found you and brought you here."

"Uh... Varian."

"Pleasure to meet ya'." They winked, then turned to Yue. "Help me change his bandages. Just get him sitting up and start taking the old gauze off while I get more."

Rudiger moved off the bed, following Cheshire out of the room. Varian hadn't even noticed the bandages on his little grey head. Yue gently slid one arm under him and helped him sit up. He took the chance to look over himself.

Gauze was wrapped around his bare chest, extending to the stump on his left. _So my assumption was correct?_ his face fell. "What was the extent of my injuries?"

"Well... As you can see, you lost an arm, and...an eye..." Yue muttered. He felt his chest tighten. "You may have broken ribs... Cheshire wasn't sure, and they aren't a medical professional." He could feel her unwrapping gauze from around his head. "I'm not either. It was never something that interested me. Plus, I wouldn't have had the time to learn it. I had etiquette lessons and I- ah...well, I suppose that doesn't matter anymore."

Varian was barely listening anymore. He was lost in his thoughts. _My father wasn't enough... My _home_ wasn't enough... I had to loose-_ He shut his eye and let a tear slip out. He was angry. It hurt. _When will it be enough? When will I stop losing things?_

"Hey."

Varian looked at Cheshire through his hair. Their, so far ever-present, smile was gone. They had a serious expression. "When you're ready to talk, we're here."

"Hey... You really can learn to be a decent person." Yue smiled. "When they were helping me, I had to yell at them before they treated me with more compassion."

"Well, excuse me." They drew out the words. "In case you've forgotten, I was little more than a forest dweller back then. I would probably have stolen your stuff and left your body for the wolves if you'd been dead. Still might."

These two were very strange, Varian decided. Even so, they seemed like they might understand. He wasn't willing to test that yet. They'd shown him kindness in a dark time. Would that kindness remain if he told them what happened? Would they side with him, or Rapunzel?

He wasn't ready to know that yet. He had to get better first. And get used to the change in vision and balance. The biggest change though... Alchemy was almost certainly off the table now.

That hurt worse than _that_ night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Varian ooc? I feel like he is...  
Ah, well.
> 
> The only one that's for sure in character is Cheshire.  
~Chip


	3. Nightmares come free with the trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Cheshire's no help when it comes to emotions. But me? I'll help you, if I can."
> 
> "If you knew what I've done, you wouldn't want to..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yue development? Yue development.
> 
> Also, with the release of season three, I've decided to be more canon compliant that was initially planned.  
I will probably make some design references for the trio eventually.

_The wind howled through the empty village, but he couldn't hear it. He didn't even really feel cold anymore. Despite having trudged through the snow for hours to get to the castle and back, it felt like he was on fire. His feet were like pins and needles, and he could hardly feel his nose anymore. Still, he _ _trekked on._

_His home was so close that he just ran. He had no time to process the pain he was in, both from the cold and the events at the castle. The door was opened and closed quickly. "Dad! Dad, I'm back. The princess refused to help but I-"_

_Seeing the amber felt like having the rug pulled from under his feet. He took a step forward-_

_"Varian, please listen."_

_He whirled around to look at the queen. Her hands were bound, her ankle chained. He couldn't make sense of what was happening._

_"Look at what you've done." The princess said from the other side of the room. "You've trapped your father in amber, kidnapped my mother, attacked the kingdom and now... Well, I'm dead because of you."_

_"N-no..." He sank to the floor and covered his ears. But he only had one arm. He couldn't cover them both. Rapunzel's footsteps approached him. "And look at yourself. You did this."_

_"No!" He screamed. "You- if you had helped me then-"_

_"Quit lying to yourself. You brought all of this upon yourself when you messed with the rocks-"_

_"Enough!"_

* * *

Varian bolted upright, the dream shattering around him. His chest felt tight and the room was spinning around him. _It was just a dream,_ he told himself.

Black spots swam around his vision. Then a warm, gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder. He blinked and turned to look at the girl. The room was dark, but the open door let a small amount of light in, letting him see the waves of red locks and the soft green cloth around her shoulders. Her eyes were wide with concern, and her eyebrows knitted together.

Biting her lip, she finally spoke. "It was a nightmare. It's alright. You're safe here." Her voice was soft as feather down. He opened his mouth to speak but she raised a hand. "Try to speek quietly. Cheshire is a light sleeper."

Now that she mentioned it, he could hear a soft snore coming from the other room. He nodded and tried again. "I'm alright. It was just...weird." He reached to rub his arm, then stopped himself. "I've never had a dream that...er..."

"Yeah, that happens when you go through something like you did." She hesitantly rubbed her cheek and neck where there were burn scars. "I myself have nightmares like that some nights. Cheshire is... Not much help. They don't even dream, so they never..." Her voice trailed off.

Varin looked away from her nd gently pet Ruddiger, who looked up at him in concern. The repetitive action helped him think about the dream. It didn't make sense to him; why was the princess blaming him? _It was her fault, wasn't it?_ he thought. Another thing that was bothering him... Did Rapunzel die?

"Hey."

He jumped slightly and looked at Yue again. She started to speak, then thought about it and stopped herself. With a quick glance at the door, she sighed and tried again. "It's hard not to think about it, I know. You've been through something awful and it's permanently marked you."

Varian watched her hand drift up to brush her hair out of her eye. Her fingertips brushed against the burned skin where an eyebrow used to be.

"Do...do _you_ want to talk about it?" He asked.

She blinked at him, then got a distant look in her eyes. "I... There was a fire. Warriors from a distant land invaded my kingdom. They slaughtered my people, murdered my parents before my very eyes..." Her eyes got shiny with tears. "I was...luck, I suppose. A chambermaid had managed to pull me into a secret passage they used when working. By the time we made it to the kitchens, everything was on fire.

"I remember thinking it couldn't get much worse when an oil lamp exploded from the heat. I... I don't remember much from that moment. I just remember wandering to the river and falling in. Then I woke up to Cheshire asking if I was dead."

Varian stared at her. "Wh...what happened to the chambermaid?" He whispered.

"She died. Whether it was the fire or drowning, I don't know. I had to convince Cheshire to help me bury her. No easy feat either. They just wanted to search her for 'useful materials' and leave her." She said, picking at her dress.

"Oh."

He didn't know what else to say. She had lost everything in one night, and he knew how that felt for the most part. Still, he hadn't truely lost _everything_. He still had a place to stay at least.

"You don't have to say anything." Her voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Pardon?"

"You don't have to say anything. That look on your face said enough for you." Yue smiled sadly. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here. All I can do is suggest you don't go to Cheshire. They rarely understand human emotions."

"I- I'll keep that in mind." She nodded and rose to her feet.

"Try to get some more sleep. I will see you in the morning." She said, turning to the door and taking careful steps. What harm could a little more sleep do?


	4. Is Cheshire Even Human?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you know something I don't?"  
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update.
> 
> I was tempted to rewrite a lot of this story, but I'm just gonna go with what I have. Too lazy to rewrite. I'm just gonna try to get through some of these chapters to get to the good stuff.
> 
> Obligatory "I have no idea what I'm doing" here.

Varian watched Cheshire tending to the fire as they waited for the pot to boil. Yue was quietly sewing some new clothes for him as fare from the fire as she could get. It wasn't like he'd be able to use his old clothes, so he appreciated it. Ruddiger sat in his lap, waiting patiently.

Then he started crying. He didn't know why. One second, everything was peaceful, then tears were rolling down his cheeks as he gripped the empty sleeve at his side. Yue moved to his side and rubbed his shoulder. Cheshire just watched them, waiting for something. That was all they ever did when he got like that. Stared like he was some actor on a stage. It irritated him.

"What?" He snapped at them. They blinked then turned back to the pot and stirred it.

"Don't mind them. They-"

"They what? All they ever do is stare at me! It's been a week, they should be used to me crying for no reason!"

"How cute," they said to the pot, "he thinks it's for no reason." They chuckled to themself and adjusted their hair, which had been braided and wrapped into a bun that day. In fact, they'd chosen very feminine clothes that day.

Varian growled and Ruddiger looked up worriedly. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." They didn't even have the decency to look at him as they spoke.

"Cheshire," Yue scolded them, "we've talked about this. You need to show sympathy. He's been through a lot and needs support."

"Isn't that what you're here for?" They quirked a browat her, slightly turning to look at her. Always with that accursed amber eye.

"Cheshire!" They turned back to the pot. That was how things were. He'd only been free to wander the house for a week, and he'd thought they'd be nice and help him with the lack of depth perception, but no. In fact, they'd often make life more difficult for him. Several times they'd pull his chair just a little farther from him, or watch him struggle to grab his utensils as they held them out for him. He never missed their grin getting wider.

He really didn't like them, and yet...

The stew was ready and they were holding a bowl out for him and saying "put a pillow on your lap." They never forced him to move. He was always free to do that on his own. Some days he'd tell them he was eating at the table and they'd set his food there. It made it hard to read them. He didn't like it.

Yue didn't get special treatment either. Sure, they'd tease her or even make life just slightly more difficult for her, but they never forced her to go near the fire. He'd watched them do it too. They'd muck up their boots before walking inside on purpose, but they always lit the fire when she was a safe distance away.

He pulled the pillow in his lap as Ruddiger hopped down and they set the bowl in the middle. Sure enough, they held his spoon up at an odd depth. He was getting better at it though, as it only took him two tries to get it. He almost missed their slight nod as they turned back to the pot to get Yue a bowl.

* * *

Varian found himself outside the next day. Cheshire agreed that he could go with them into town, as he'd asked to see what they did for a living. It was so bright, yet so relaxing. He slipped the bag Yue had given him over his head.

Cheshire had stopped to look over a rock. He'd never seen someone so interested in something so mundane. Maybe that was how people felt when he got into his research.

They walked over and stuffed the rock into his bag. "We should switch from gauze to an eye patch." They muttered to themself as they started walking.

Varian glanced over to the small stable on the property. A horse was quietly standing at the food trough munching on some hay. It's lovely chestnut coat shining in the morning sun. "Why don't we take the horse? It'd be faster than walking."

They frowned, staring the horse down with that amber eye. "That demon can stay in the stables."

The horse huffed at them and took two steps to get some water. "What's that supposed to mean? Isn't that being unfair to the horse?"

They turned to him and set their hands on his shoulders. "Oh sweet, young Varian, you naive child you," they said calmly before bringing their face closer to his. "Never trust a horse. Especially not Bobby. They're pure evil." Their face was dark, a haunted look in that amber eye that he couldn't pull his attention away from. He swallowed thickly.

"Let's be off then." They smiled and turned, starting down the path. He followed them.

The neighbor started yelling at them as they passed, but Cheshire ignored him. They were humming softly to themself as they walked. He didn't understand how they could so easily ignore someone yelling insults to them as they walked. He'd never been able to do it himself, letting people's words cut deeper than he should have.

But they kept walking, a small smile plastered to their face. Then the neighbor grew distant and they started singing to themself. He didn't recognize the language, and noted how low their voice could get before it climbed back up. _Maybe the demon comment wasn't too far off._

"What language is that?"

They wen't silent. He quirked a brow at them. "I don't know."

"You don't know, yet you're singing in it and I'm guessing pretty fluently. How?" They shrugged. Like everything else, they just let it go. "Don't you care about anything?"

"Yeah," they smiled at him, "my own survival. That's my number one priority." That explained a few things.

They made it into town and past some stalls and right to the blacksmith. It was breathtaking. So many unique projects were on display and the forge itself was being run by a large man with goggles over his eyes. He glanced up at them as Cheshire got the rock outof Varian's bag.

"Another stray? Ah, Cheshire, eventually people will start questioning if you really only care for yourself."

"Eh. I just thought I'd do the right thing for once. I'll be at the grindstone." They said as they walked over to the wheel. Varian moved closer to watch. He could see that the stone wheel would rotate as they pushed pedals with their feet. They started turning it and grinding off layers from the stone. "I also figured you could think up some interesting solution to his problem."

"Problem?"

"Kid's only got one arm. Maybe you can come up with something to help him."

"They say as they actively make my life harder." Varian grumbled. The smith laughed loudly. He didn't seem all that surprised. Cheshire held up the former stone to show a beautiful crystal.

"A rose quartz? How did you know?" They shrugged and moved to a bench to start working on a necklace for it. "The rocks talk to me." They said.

It wasn't the strangest thing they'd ever said, surprisingly. It was up there though. "Ignore them. Now, I need to come up some designs for tools you can use."

"Actually, I have a few ideas." Varian said, walking over to the table where the smith had sat. He looked intrigued as the boy sat down and picked up the pencil. "Cheshire, man the store."

"You got it boss man."

Varian was thankful for the distraction. And that he wouldn't be working with them. He couldn't help but think their amber eye was fitting. Anything amber always seemed to make his life more difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheshire is fun to write. But confusing.
> 
> I have no idea how to end a chapter.


End file.
